The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-08-06

Lines which VIII Not stay I'a'h'u'
ImprovisIng "a Part--Jumping Whole
Act.
cit always seemed queer 20 me- sald
an actor who had gray hair 10 give Welsnt
60 his opinion, chat somebody docs"
write book on the psychological aspect
81 life on the stage Probably the actor
has as large an opportunity oil becoming
ncouainted with curious phenomena oi the
human intellect ms any man That lives.
The curious freaks Of supersUdous fancy
that anlict some Of the best known actors
nrc old themes Of discussion. some think
they can't act If they see a horse of % Ger
tain color or II they don't wear % ccrion
dress. or if they play in q certain house.
Some actors have played one part $50 many
times that the work has become cniifcly
mechanical, and they forget how iar along
they have got ina the play Under some
conditions Of mind-uOt induced by drink
,ither-the oldest actor b. liable 10 mss a
cue or cut a fellow actor out of hi7 lines,
no matter If he knows the play so well
that he can repeat the whole thing from
beginning 10 end / have known even 20
careful and thorough an actor as Lawrence
Barrett. who has played 'lachcl0'
thousands of times ] suppose, 10 get
thrown of the tracks in the lirst interview
betveon the cardinal and Julie, and have
togo back 10 his first speech 90 get 10 right
Not long ago heard Frederick Warde, in
cxpatiatng ON his fayorite play Damon
md Pyihias. q play in which he has acted
principal or subordinate parts for fifteen
wears. utterly fail to recall three lines from
The very passage hc was wont 10 deliver
with the greatest effect from the stage.
'.But the most curious freak Of the
actors memory, and the one 10 my mind
fnrthercst from any rational explanation
H. the way il will sometimes, and for no
apparent cause, utterly refua@ % take any
impression 40 ALL ] remember very well
the first experience Of that kind | ever
had was I'm the company Of q well
known tragedian Of this city a change
An the east had given me the part OF Bara-
Cas two days before 'Richelieu' was TO be
performed. ! was fairly familiar with the
part and thought I would have no dim
Guilty in becoming dead letter perfect init
Istudied all my lengths that night until
knew them pretty well, and the next day
went at them again. To my speeches.
horror ! discovered that all that ] had
the lines over as many times as ] would
and strive as hard as ] would 10 impress
them on my mind, not one would stick.
i'll should ever become q raying maniac
would never be more pitinble object than
was that day ! locked myself in my
room and refused 10 eat while ] went over
the lines 10 myself as Nicholas Nlcklc'y
went over the apothccary' lines TO poor
4 .tr.sr / Loo HIf
the better Of them and when ! went 90 the
theatre had them all pat. ! had rcgained
great deal Of my confidence and thought
should have no more trouble.
'Imagine my feelings when ! discov-
cred as ! heard my first cue, That the
whole part had got away from me !
stood before that sea Of upiurned faces
with no idea Of what | was going 10 say.
At last found my voice, and said some
thine--I don't know what such vcr-
sion Of Baradas no audience ever listened
20 as mine WAS that night ] struggled
ON making mp sentences rs went along
and irving 10 keep what ] said within the
general plot Of the play Of which J had
fairly distinct impression. ] don sup
bose what ] said sounded half as bad To
others as St did so me, FOR the people In
the wings told me afterwmd that iew per-
sons not familiar with the text would
have suspected there was anything serious
the matter.
as soon as ] was of the stage made
srush for the dressing room. grabbed "a
play book and laboriously studied NY
next lengths until was 10 go on again.
Ii was Of mo- use. c0uldn remember
word Of my part when ] got before the
footlights Desperation came To- nay ana,
however plunged in boldly ana got
through Am improvisation that would nave
made Bulwer's hair stand on cnd With
ont any bad brcaks That night when i
was getting into bed. utterly disgneicd
with myself, an those lines came BACK 10
me i'm heap, and for weeks aud weeks
they haunted me They took such com
plete posses-ion of me that ] could
scarcely drive them out of my head when
the time came 80 learn another part
THAT was ten years ago, and l never
had "a touch Of the malady again Wll
last winter. We were trying new piece
'on the dog in Providence We had had
II i'm rehearsal for some time and sup
posed knew all my part and business as
well as knew my own name. was the
villain. and i'm the fourth act was quur-
rel with aud stab my accOmphce in crime,
FOR which was 10 De- sentenced 10 death
after confessing al ANY NIlaiuy. la tho
next act had a scene with the hero just
before the quarrel, and I'm blessed II /
didn't forget lines business and every
thing else Jumping away down io the
end Of the act / killed the hero. The
author Of the play who was sitting ln q
box. must have been paralyzcd 40 the
liberty took with his text, and the au-
dience must have Thought 10 very strange
that the hero should come to llieso readily
An the next act, aud that l should DE SEN
fenced 10 death for merely trying t0 Kin
him. But the dog lived, and l got ott
with a searching from the manager ~
New York Commercial Advertiser.
DRY aud Wet Timber.
a discussion is going the rounds Of the
press as T. the relative strength of wet or